


Crying In a Broom Closet

by nikoline3481



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29012952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikoline3481/pseuds/nikoline3481
Summary: Toph goes to her first college party and, being the introverted extrovert she is, has a hard time fitting in with the rest of the upperclassmen college crowd. The boy who finds her crying in a broom closet seems to change her perspective.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Crying In a Broom Closet

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know. I'm supposed to be working on my other fic for you guys but here's just something I came up with before I started finals week. There'll be another chapter up soon after this but I hope you like it!  
> And don't worry, Use Me Like Your Boomerang will have something special in store for you soon so make sure to check it out!

“Come  _ on _ , Toph!” 

Toph leaned further back into her seat and shrugged as Katara stamped her feet on the floor like a toddler. The green-eyed girl moved to jam her earbuds in, tuning her roommate’s desperate requests out. 

“Toph, please. It’s the first party of the year. We’re both freshmen and I don’t want to look like a sissy.”

“To  _ who?  _ I’m the only other person you know here,” Toph said, munching on a maraschino cherry. 

“My brother! He’s never going to let me live it down if I don’t do all the big things in college. And joining in on the first party of the year seems like a must in this situation.” Katara moved over to the mirror to fuss with her long, dark hair.

“Look, your brother can’t be that much of a party animal considering that I’ve never seen or heard of him on campus,” Katara whined pleadingly and Toph sighed. “You’re my best friend, Katara. You told me if I was uncomfortable doing anything, you wouldn’t push me.”

Katara’s shoulders dropped as she sat on the mattress next to Toph, stealing a cherry from the bowl. She huffed and glanced over at the blind girl. Toph spat out the cherry stem, tied up perfectly in a neat knot. 

Katara pointed excitedly at the knot. “See! Only one girl in, like, twenty can do that. That makes you a pretty rare catch, Toph. Guys will be falling over their feet to talk to you.”

“Yeah, right. Talk to the blind girl for a night. That’ll give them something to laugh about in the men’s locker room for a couple of weeks. And this. I don’t even know what I’m doing half the time when I twist it around in my mouth,” she said, frowning. 

The dark-skinned girl moved towards her roommate and put an arm around her. “You’re not a joke, Toph. You’re kind even when you don’t want to be and you’re incredibly funny. I told my brother a story you told me and he laughed until milk came out of his nose.”

Toph furrowed her brow. She didn’t even know Katara’s brother. Hearing stories about him like this without having a smell or texture to match him to was freakish and she didn’t particularly enjoy it. 

“You’re beautiful. Like, seriously pretty. You’re  _ crazy  _ smart. And I mean absolutely CRAZY. How are you learning two languages, taking a double-major in political science and psychology, and a minor in engineering?”

Toph blushed and shrugged, determined to play it off cool. “Eh, it’s nothing. Pretty boring if you ask me.”

“You’re crazy,” Katara said laughing. 

It was silent for a moment longer, the clock ticking away in the background, My Chemical Romance playing loudly in the one earbud Toph had taken out. And then Katara asked, “Do you remember how we met? How we became best friends?”

Toph smiled wide. “I do.”

Katara grinned just as wide. “I was new at Earth Rumble Junior High. We were playing football in the field…”

“And I chucked the ball right at your face,” Toph said matter-of-factly. 

The dark-skinned girl laughed and hugged her friend close to her side. “That’s right. Of course, you didn’t know what you were doing because…”

The other girl waved her hand in front of her face lamely and giggled. 

Katara nodded. “Right. Of course, you helped me up and brought me to the nurse. She gave me ice packs and medicine and you stayed with me the entire time. But you never apologized. Then, when I asked-”

Toph burst out laughing and threw her headphones off, turning to Katara to entwine her fingers with her best friend. “I told you to ask the ball for one since IT did the most damage!”

“Boy, you were sassy for a twelve-year-old,” the dark-skinned girl said, chuckling and squeezing her roommate’s pale hands. 

“Oh, come on. You know I still got it, Sugar Queen.”

“Ugh, I’m not that sweet.”

Toph gasped like she had just told her she’d burned down the building. But she laughed all the same. 

“I guess we didn’t have the best meet-cute. But it sure was memorable.”

Katara snorted. “You can say that again. But, please, come to the party with me. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do. We can just have a good time. And you don’t have to talk to anyone but me.”

“Who says I want to talk to YOU?” 

Katara shoved at Toph’s shoulder lightly and moved to dig in their tiny closet. “You’re going to need something else to wear.”

Toph only had time to moan loudly and bash her head into the pillow before she was pulled off the bed to stand in front of the mirror. 

_______________________________

The green-eyed girl stood in front of a tall, white house with a garden covering its entire perimeter. Beautiful daisies shot out of the ground, lilacs and lavenders curled sweetly up to the sky, begging for someone to come sniff them. Needless to say, it was absolutely beautiful. But Toph winced as the bass coming from the inside of the house grew just a notch louder. She fought to cover her ears with her hands. Being blind had given her super-hearing. But it did have its disadvantages. 

“Are you okay?” 

Toph glanced over at her best friend standing next to her. Apparently, Katara had dressed her in a velvety dress, the color of glimmering emeralds (so Katara tells her). The same green as her eyes. She’d said it brought attention to them, whatever that means. The aspect of colors was completely foreign to Toph. She had held the dress up to her nose and breathed in deep, it smelled like a forest and childhood all at once. Like her father reading her a story while she sat on his lap, eagerly listening for the next princess to be saved by the handsome and dashing prince. 

She hated those stories now. 

But inhaling the deep scent of pine...it made her think of something else. She was deep in the woods

and lost. Looking for something important. She had pulled the dress over her head and sat on the bed before she could come down with a dizzy spell. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s just go in and get this over with.”

Katara squealed and pulled Toph in for a hug. “I can’t believe we’re going to our first party as college freshmen.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too excited about it. And don’t abandon me either, okay? Like I said I don’t know anyone here EXCEPT you.”

Katara nodded eagerly, grabbing her hand and yanking her into the sea of bodies. 

One hour later and Toph was ready to throw herself off the nearest bridge just to put herself out of her misery. She and Katara had immediately lost each other in the crowd of sweaty, beer-soaked teenagers and adults. After a terrifying ten minutes, Toph was able to find the most friendly wall to lean against for the rest of the night. 

Until, of course, a wave of dancing threw her back into the fray. She swayed and fell back into a pair of muscular yet elegant arms. The girl who seemed to be the only one holding her up from flailing on the sticky dance floor looked down into Toph’s milky green eyes. She smelled like hot cider and crisp apples in the fall, like the comfort of an orchard. Toph had to fight the urge to crush this girl against her chest to feel the flush of memories in her head. 

She jolted as the girl holding her up began to speak. “Oh. Hi. Are you okay?”

Toph debated on saying she was fine and returning to the party. But unfortunately, there would not be much hope for her stomach after another HOUR of jostling. She settled for shaking her head while the music continued to blare. Toph felt the girl nod and helped her stand upright, putting a hand on her back to move her out of the crowd gently. 

The girl turned as Toph swiveled to grip the granite countertop in what she figured was the kitchen. “Rough night?” she asked. 

Toph smoothed her dress out and grabbed a glass, shoving it under the sink and feeling her heart rate slow as she felt the glass grow heavier. “I’ve never been to a party on campus.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

“Well, this is the time and place you could’ve started at. We call this building Omashu. It’s always been known for the biggest ragers and raves. The best booze, the best music, the best sex, whatever you can think of that’s basically contraband.” Her face turned stoic as she added, “Except drugs. No drugs allowed here. Also, the biggest parties usually happen at the beginning of the year here, when everyone’s all excited.”

“Huh.” Toph took a gulp of water. “Who owns Omashu?” 

The girl rolled her eyes. “This girl named Azula inherited the property by birthright. 

But then her brother Zuko, the TRUE heir to the property who was completely ignored by his father for so long, decided to fight her for it. There was a big court trial and Azula lost. Zuko owns it now and throws at least two ragers a week.”

The girl waited patiently for a response but Toph merely raised her brow and turned away. She set her shaking hand down on the counter. God, she really hadn’t socialized in a while, had she? Katara was right. She needed this or she was going to scream and run for the mountains whenever someone other than her roommate approached her outside of class. 

“What’s your name?” the girl asked gently. Toph could still smell the scent of hot cider on her skin. 

“I’m Toph. Toph Beifong.”

“Year?”

“Freshman.”

“Ah, that explains things I guess.”

Andddd, insert awkward silence here. They stood, listening to the vibrations of the music pump throughout the floor. Toph gulped the rest of her water down. She opened her mouth, ready to say she was going to go back in and try to find Katara because, good God, anything was better than sitting here and trying to make small talk with the girl who had almost caught her slipping and sliding across the dance floor. And possibly body-surfing. 

A large howl interrupted the two, and Toph heard a pair of heavy footsteps approach her and the girl. A boy with dark hair and a red, gnarled scar rushed forward and grabbed the girl around the waist, kissing her deeply. 

Toph had no idea what to do with the smacking sounds coming from their general vicinity. She toed the line near the door of the kitchen when Hot Cider girl called to her once more. “Hey, Toph! Come meet my boyfriend. Oh, and I guess I should introduce myself, too. I’m Suki. Toph, this is Zuko. And Zuko, this is Toph. She’s a freshman here at Republic University.”

‘Boyfriend.’

The green-eyed girl froze and turned her head towards the couple. She imagined them, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, brushing each other’s hands slightly, just enough to tease and tempt and torture. They’d be pressed up against one another, basking in the heat of each other’s warm glow of love. They belonged. She could feel it somehow. But nothing could stop the pang of loneliness she felt. And suddenly, she looked down boring lasers into the floor with her sightless eyes, focusing extra hard on trying not to let that first tear fall from her eyes. She’d fall apart. 

Toph glanced back up at Suki and Zuko and forced herself to smile. 

“Hi,” Zuko said, peering closely at the girl. He whispered something to Suki and she nodded back. 

Oh no. This was going to be one of those situations. The disabled third wheel. She was going to be babysat if she stayed here any longer. 

She gave a polite nod of her head before pointing to the bathroom and waving at them. 

Moving across the building had not been easy. She was looking for the perfect hiding spot. But after way too many scarring “visuals'' and dark, freaky rooms later, she found a small broom closet, dirty and cramped. She sighed. It was the perfect place to hide until all this was over. And then she could go home. And then she could read Jane Austen. And then she could listen to My Chemical Romance and Nirvana. And then she could eat whatever the crap she wanted without having to worry about Spanx or muffin tops. 

She sighed and locked herself in. Toph hugged her knees to her chest and waited. 

She felt just fine until the tears came. They were always surprising her, for the weirdest reasons, for the weirdest memories, for the weirdest experiences. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was crying. 

A knock sounded at the door and the words, “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” filtered through the wood of the door. Toph pressed her ear against the door just in time for the whole thing to go flying into her face, broken wood and dust and everything. She let out a shriek as a stray piece of wood on the door flew straight into her brow. Something else cracked as it hit the floor. 

The door stopped in its swinging endeavors and Toph coughed. She felt around the floor, her hand coming in contact with a pair of particularly ratty sneakers. Though she couldn’t see it, a pair of eyes as blue as the ocean cast their timid gaze on her. He floundered and dropped to the floor, picking up whatever he had dropped in his quest to KICK OPEN the door to the broom closet. 

Toph thought he might’ve noticed she was most definitely sitting there, hacking up her lungs as the woody dust refused to settle, but he continued to scavenge the floor for bits of glass. The crackling sound of a fizzing liquid caught at her ears as the boy swore once more. She moved back further into the broom closet. If he didn’t notice her, maybe she could get away with hiding in the back. But the rustling sound of her emerald dress seemed to distract him. 

Shit. 

The boy went very still, looking up at Toph again, cocking his head to the side and studying her trembling figure. Her face was still damp and her pale forearms lodged with splinters and glass. The boy swore again and leaned forward, further into the broom closet. 

“Hello?”

Toph held her breath, scrunching her eyes shut. Bunnies did it, right? If you couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see you. He’d leave her alone in a minute and everything would be fine. 

Something touched her hand. Something cool and soft. His hand. He was touching her. Her heart lurched in her chest as Toph fought to sit up and cough out the rest of the woody dust. His cool hand pulled her farther out of the doorway and into the light. 

She heard the sharp intake of breath. 

He probably thought she looked ridiculous, sitting here with about a million splinters in her face and glass stuck in her palms. Glass. Right. She was probably bleeding. 

The boy startled for a second as thundering footsteps sounded in the hall. 

“Where are you, you little punk?” A voice yelled. 

Toph opened her mouth to ask what the HELL was going on, but the boy had shoved her back into the doorway again and shut the door behind him. 

“Where’d he go?” The same voice was back. 

“Stealing booze? Really, Sokka?” 

“You can run, but you sure as fuck can’t hide for shit.”

Toph held her breath for an eternity. It could’ve been a minute. Two hours. A year. She’d never know. Everything was so still inside the broom closet. The footsteps faded all the way out to the hallway on the right when she finally relaxed against the metal rack behind her. 

And she stiffened again as another set of heavy breathing and relieved sighs joined her. It was funny how eerily quiet she’d been not only moments before. She was hyperventilating at an impressive rate as she regarded the manly shape across from her.

“Hey, hey, hey. What’s wrong?” There was that touch again. She yelped and pressed herself further back into the metal rack. It was like there was cotton clogging up her nose, making it harder and harder to breathe with every second. 

Sokka’s hand skated over her brow, and she flinched as the twinging pain of the wood seemed to burrow itself deeper into her forehead. He tutted unhappily, moving forward for a closer look. 

“Wh-wh-who are you? What are you doing here? And what the hell is going on!” Toph all but screamed. 

He stopped fussing over her banged-up face once his gaze caught on her milky green eyes. She blanched, thinking he was absolutely about to stick her with another piece of glass (probably on purpose now - who knew what kinds of murderers lurked around at college parties?). 

“Oh my god, you’re blind. I’m such an idiot. I should’ve said something about…” he said as he gestured to the door. Sokka stuck out his hand. “I’m Sokka. I’m a junior at Republic University. And you?”

It took Toph a minute to understand he was asking for her NAME. Mentally facepalming herself, she stuck out her own hand shyly, feeling throughout the air to feel his again. “I’m Toph. Toph Beifong. Freshman.” 

_ God, creep much?  _ she chastised herself.  _ Who gives out their last name when you meet for the first time? _

But Sokka didn’t say anything. He moved closer, his sweet breath fanning over her face as he fussed over the splinter in her brow. “You’re a freshman and you’ve made it past two hours of one of Zuko’s ragers? You’re a brave soul.”

Toph blushed and hung her head down. “I hardly think finding a broom closet to cry in really counts for me as a ‘brave soul.’” 

He winced and lifted her hands, inspecting the damage. “Well, I guess I must’ve made the day worse. Feel free to press charges or something.”

And then he went and ruined everything, kissing her pink palm, scraped raw and bleeding from the glass. Toph stiffened again. This time his hand went to her waist, gentle and comforting against the velvet of her dress. She turned her face up, his cerulean eyes meeting her shiny emerald ones. His lips hovered over hers for a second. Emotion tightened her chest as Toph’s hands found Sokka’s collarbone and shoulders and biceps, spreading her tender hands over his arms. 

And then he let go. “Let’s get you all fixed up.”

Toph’s face was fire-truck red as she shot up onto her feet. 


End file.
